Swimming and Diving: Virginia sets two American records at ACC Championships

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

Virginia’s men’s and women’s 200-yard freestyle relays set American Records to open the second night of the 2022 ACC Championships at the McAuley Aquatic Center on Wednesday.

UVA’s women’s 200 free relay team of Kate Douglass, Alex Walsh, Lexi Cuomo and Gretchen Walsh, respectively, swam a time of 1:24.47 to best the previous record of 1:24.55 set in 2019. It is the second relay win for the women at the ACC Championships.

Shortly after the women’s record-setting performance, the Cavaliers’ men’s team of Matt Brownstead, Matt King, Connor Boyle and August Lamb, respectively, captured the 200-yard freestyle relay American Record in 1:14.47 to win the ACC title. The previous best was 1:14.50 set in 2018 by NC State.

WOMEN’S RESULTS

• The top-ranked Virginia women moved into first with 421 points, followed by NC State (415), Louisville (274), Duke (232) and Virginia Tech (221) in the top five.
• Virginia’s women won all four events on the second night of competition.
• Douglass capped off the individual events with an ACC and UVA record time of 21.00 to win the 50-yard freestyle ACC title.
• Emma Weyant picked up her first ACC title, winning the 500-yard freestyle in a career-best and fourth-fastest time in UVA history, 4:37.23.
• Alex Walsh won her second-consecutive 200-yard IM ACC title. She finished first in a season-best and NCAA A qualifying time of 1:52.38.
• Maddie Donohoe placed third in the 500-yard freestyle in a career-best 4:38.82. Her time moves her into seventh all-time at UVA. Julia Menkhaus was 14th in a season-best 4:50.01.
• In the 200-yard IM, Ella Nelson finished fifth with a time of 1:55.93. Abby Harter won the B Final in a career-best 1:55.90 to place ninth and now ranks eighth all-time at UVA. Ella Bathurst was 15th in 1:57.79 and Sophia Wilson finished 23rd in 2:00.27.
• In the 50-yard freestyle, Gretchen Walsh finished second with a career-best and NCAA A time of 21.04, just .04 seconds behind Douglass and the second-fastest time in UVA history. Cuomo was seventh and swam a career-best 21.86 in the prelims. Jessica Nava won the C Final in 22.53 and Alexis Wenger finished 19th in 22.56.

MEN’S RESULTS

• UVA’s win in the 200 free relay was the first relay ACC Championship for the men since 2013 and the first time winning the 200 free relay since 2010.
• The Cavaliers are currently third with 336 points. NC State leads (506.5), Louisville is second (361.5), Virginia Tech is fourth (319) and Georgia Tech is fifth (264).
• Jack Wright finished seventh in the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 4:15.58. Peter Thompson was 20th (4:21.45) and Tanner Hering finished 22nd (4:23.26).
• In the 200-yard IM, Sean Conway finished 12th with a time of 1:45.15. UVA took the top four spots in the C Final. Scooter Iida won with a career-best time of 1:44.89 to finish 17th. Noah Nichols was 18th in 1:45.66, Josh Fong was 19th in 1:46.05 and Casey Storch finished 20th in 1:46.31.
• UVA’s five finalist in the 50-yard freestyle now hold the top five times in UVA history. • Brownstead led a trio of Cavaliers in the 50-yard freestyle A Final, finishing fourth in 19.01.
• Jack Aikins tied for sixth in 19.12, the second-fastest time in UVA history, and Connor Boyle was eighth in 19.32. Boyle’s time of 19.19 from prelims ranks fourth all-time at UVA.
• King won the B Final with the third-fastest time in UVA history, clocking in at 19.17. August Lamb finished 10th in 19.30 and swam a career-best 19.27 to rank fifth all-time.
• Walker Creedon advanced to the 1-meter finals, finishing sixth with a career-best score of 326.90.

UP NEXT

Thursday’s events will include the 400 IM, 100 fly, 200 free, 200 medley relay and women’s 3-meter diving. Prelims begin at 10 a.m. and finals at 6 p.m. on ACCNX.